A Chance Meeting
by AlexJohnD
Summary: Tuffnut always hated the idea of going to the library, but when he was finally forced to go he found more than just books. Tuffcup. Inspired by a post on imagineyourotp(.)tumblr(.)com that I can't find anymore. Cover art by shadowpiratemonkey7 on DA/Tumblr, used with permission.
1. Chapter 1

Tuffnut sighed in exasperation as the bell rang and he walked out of his last class at 2:30pm. He had just been informed by his teacher that he was failing the course, and the only way to boost his mark was with a research essay. As much as he hated reading, he liked the idea of having to repeat a course even less. He marched through the hallways that were teaming with the excited voices of weekend-bound students, but he barely noticed their voices as his head was down for the entire walk, angrily muttering to himself.

He had never entered the library in the three years he had been going to Berk High, and he was quite proud of himself for that in his own way. A piece of him was quite upset that his record would be broken, but as he pushed open the double doors into the library he just wanted to get this over with. It was partially because he didn't want to waste his time on this, and partially because he strongly disliked the smell of books that assaulted his nose upon entry.

He knew which topic he would be writing on, and he immediately bee-lined straight for the sciences and chemistry section. He may not be good getting a good mark in chemistry, after all he was writing the essay for that very course, but that didn't mean he wasn't interested in certain aspects of it. Especially when he got to mix chemicals that would blow up.

When he arrived at the section he paused for just a moment as he looked at the spines of the books, or at least tried to. Shaking his head he took off his backpack and placed it on the floor. He unzipped one of the larger sections and started rummaging through, looking for his glasses case.

He shook his head once more before placing the glasses on his face and fixing them. He absolutely hated these things, but his family couldn't afford any type of corrective surgery and so he was stuck with them. And as if to add insult to injury, his mom had picked out the ugliest glasses he had ever seen.

He perused the book titles for minutes on end, occasionally pausing to read the summaries to see if they would be appropriate for his essay. He ended up picking three books he thought would suit his needs and walked them over to a nearby study carrel, dropping them on the surface with a mild thud. He received an angry shush from another student but Tuffnut just blew it off, rolling his eyes.

Tuffnut cracked open the first book and started skimming. There was no way he intended to read the whole book as he had neither the time nor the patience for that. He only needed to pass, he didn't need an A. He was only through half of the second book when the lights flashed, indicating the library would be closing in fifteen minutes. He inwardly cursed the library's short after school hours, and he picked up the books to bring them to the librarian. Hopefully he could finish skimming and write the essay at home over the weekend without getting distracted too much.

When he reached the counter, he stopped dead in his tracks. He removed his glasses for just a moment before replacing them, trying to make sure that his eyes weren't deceiving him. It wasn't the normal librarian standing behind the counter, but a very attractive looking brunet that Tuffnut was sure had to be a student based on how young he looked.

Berk High wasn't a very big school, but it also wasn't small enough to the point where students would all know each other. Tuffnut guessed that the brunet was a grade younger than him, seeing as he didn't even recognize him and he could generally identify those in the year above him.

When it was his turn to check out his books, Tuffnut was immediately captivated by the student's forest green eyes. He was too distracted, however, to hear what he was asked the first time the brunet spoke.

"Can I see your student card please?" the student asked, arching an eyebrow when Tuffnut didn't seem to hear him.

"Oh right, sorry," Tuffnut replied as he returned to reality, making sure to take off his glasses as quickly as possible as he handed over his student ID. "So, uh, you're not the usual librarian."

"No, I'm just a volunteer. Mr. Belch is on vacation until Wednesday next week so I'm just covering for him," the student replied as he handed back Tuff's student card. "Thank you Tuffnut."

"Call me Tuff. And your name is?" Tuffnut asked, seizing the opportunity.

"Hiccup," he replied as he scanned the first book into the computer.

"Cool," Tuffnut replied as he shoved the card back into his pocket. "So, you a freshman or a sophomore?"

"Sophomore," Hiccup replied offhandedly as he scanned the second book. "Interested in chemistry I see."

Tuff had to pause for a minute before he replied. "Oh, yeah, love it. You like chemistry?"

"Meh, I'm more of a physics person myself." As Hiccup said that he scanned the last book through and continued before Tuffnut could get a word in edgewise. "Alright so these are due back in one week." Hiccup handed Tuffnut his receipt with the due date circled in red pen, then immediately looked back at the computer.

"Thanks," was all Tuffnut could say before he picked up his books and left. Something told him he would be spending quite a bit of time at the library over the next few school days.

* * *

Tuffnut would never have said it, and if anyone had heard him say it he would have denied it, but he was quite excited to go back to school as Monday rolled around. Not for his classes or to hand in his just-good-enough-to-pass essay, but to go back to the library and see Hiccup again. He didn't know what it was that was attracting him to the student, but really he didn't care.

His classes dragged by at a snail's pace, and as Tuffnut watched the second hand grind through the minutes and hours of the day, he would have sworn at one point it moved backwards. Impatience hung in the air like a thick fog, coming from not just Tuffnut but all of the students as they waited for the first day of their week to end.

When the bell chimed to signal the end of the school day, Tuffnut was the first one out of the classroom. In the hallway he was greeted by a chorus of mixed voices, all of which he ignored on his trek to the library.

When Tuffnut reached the doors he flung them open rather dramatically, earning himself an angry stare from several students sitting near the door. He simply waved them off, walking off to the left to return the books and hoping that a certain brunet would be standing behind the counter when he arrived.

Hiccup wasn't standing behind the counter, but Tuffnut saw him approaching after he had been standing near the computer for a few seconds.

"Hey Tuff," Hiccup greeted, sealing the small, half sized wooden door behind him and walking up to the computer.

"You remembered my name," Tuffnut smiled, secretly thinking that that was one of the greatest things in a long time.

"It's a unique name," Hiccup shrugged. That deflated Tuffnut's ego ever so slightly, but not to the point of shaking his self-confidence. "So what can I do for you?"

"Oh, I'm just returning these books."

"You know there is a slot right here for returning books, right?" Hiccup asked, smiling as he pointed to the slot a few feet to his left. It was just large enough to fit an average textbook and had a plastic sign right next to it saying 'BOOK RETURN'.

Tuffnut looked back and forth between the slot and Hiccup twice before saying, "Yeah but that's so impersonal."

"True, and you do strike me as quite the socialite," Hiccup cracked, the sarcasm practically dripping from his very words. Tuffnut couldn't help but smile at the joke though; he could definitely appreciate a good joke, even if it was at his expense. In his own defence it wasn't that he was a loner, he just stuck to a small group of friends.

Before Tuffnut could respond, however, a group of children suddenly came marching into the library, none older than 8 years old. Considering this was a high school library Tuffnut was confused by the sight, and he turned to Hiccup simply with a raised eyebrow and a pointing gesture.

"Over here guys!" Hiccup called before returning his attention back to Tuffnut. "That's my little brother and a couple of his friends. All of our parents are out of town tonight and I'm the oldest, so I have to watch them. They'll be sticking around here until I leave though since they can't be home alone."

"Hi Hiccup," greeted the tallest of the children, a boy with shoulder length black hair and a slightly darker skin tone than Hiccup himself. Behind him walked a boy with medium length brown hair and a slightly younger girl with blonde hair.

"Hey bud, grab a seat on the couches over there and I'll see you in a sec."

"Got it. Come on guys," the boy gestured, and they all ran over to the couches.

"I'll punch these through later," Hiccup said as he dropped Tuffnut's books into the returns slot. "See you later Tuff!"

Before Tuffnut could get a word in, Hiccup was already gone. He silently cursed to himself; he only had two days left before Mr. Belch's vacation ended, and if he wanted to get anywhere with the boy he would need to do better than that.

He turned around to walk back towards the doors, and before he had even made it out of the library he had started creating a plan of attack for tomorrow in his head.

* * *

Classes flew by on Tuesday, and that couldn't have made Tuffnut happier. He asked to go to the bathroom a few minutes before the end of his last class, and when the teacher granted him permission he bolted. He tossed his backpack into his locker and ran for the library, halfway there before the final bell even rang.

When Tuffnut burst through the doors he was not only the first student there, but he actually beat Hiccup as well apparently. Glancing back he noticed Hiccup walking towards the door, and so he bolted into the fiction section of the library. He rifled through the shelves, picking up the first books he could grab without even bothering to look at them (or even put his glasses on to read the titles) before he made his way back to the desk.

"Hey Hiccup!" Tuffnut called from a few metres away, before he had even noticed him.

"Oh, hey Tuff! You're back again," Hiccup smiled.

"Yeah, I wanted to check out some more books. You know, I love reading," Tuffnut lied through his teeth.

"That's great. Alright, student card?"

"Right, right," Tuffnut muttered as he forked over his student card once more.

"Alright let's see here," Hiccup started as he scanned Tuffnut's card and picked up the books to enter them into the system. "The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, Twilight, and My Sister's Keeper. Interesting choices."

Tuffnut mentally face-palmed. How could he have been so stupid as to not double check the titles of the books he had picked up? He knew it was too late to change now, so he would just have to roll with it.

"Yeah, I'm borrowing these for my sister actually."

"Oh, well that's nice of you," Hiccup said as he circled the due date on the receipt and handed everything to Tuffnut. "One week, like always."

"Thanks," Tuffnut said as he grabbed the books and forced a smile. As he walked out he slowly shook his head, disappointed at himself. There was no saving today in his mind and tomorrow was his last chance, so he had to make sure that it counted.

* * *

That night, Tuffnut spent several hours online researching different books that he thought maybe, just maybe, he could stand to read. He refused to blow his last chance to at least have a reason to talk to Hiccup in the future. It took several hours, but at long last, he thought he had finally found one.

When Tuffnut entered the library once more on Wednesday, he waved to Hiccup as he walked back to the fiction section. When he was out of sight he slipped his glasses onto his face, searching for the book he had selected the night before. He knew it was popular, so he hoped that the library would have it in stock.

He perused the aisles, watching as the letters of the authors' names change, until he finally stopped near the end of an aisle. Running past each spine individually he slowed as he zeroed in on the proper spelling of the authors last name. Then, right in the middle of the very bottom row, he found it: the sole remaining copy of The Hunger Games. He picked it up and looked at it for a solid thirty seconds, making sure that everything was right. When he was sure he had the right book, he got his student card out of his pocket, tucked it in the front cover with the top sticking out just enough to be noticeable, and walked back to the counter.

"Hello again," Hiccup smiled as Tuffnut approached him.

"Hey," Tuffnut greeted, placing the book on the counter.

"So, The Hunger Games. This for your sister or…" Hiccup said, letting his voice fade out at the end.

"No, this is for me. I've heard good things about it. Have you read it?"

"Yeah actually, I have. It was really good," Hiccup commented as he scanned everything and handed the book back to Tuffnut. "One week, as always."

Tuffnut was about to say more, but he realized that while he had been there two other people had formed a line, waiting to check out books of their own. Hiccup immediately called the next one forward, and just like that Tuffnut was forced aside.

He took a few steps towards the exit, grasping the book and seeing just the white outline of receipt behind his student card. He shook his head with sorrow, knowing that he had blown his last chance. Sure he could potentially see Hiccup in the halls, but what would he use as an approach to talk to the boy? If he could even manage to track him down that was. For all he knew they had their classes on opposite sides of the building.

Tuffnut paused after five steps, cementing himself to the spot for just a moment. He wasn't going to let some other random student ruin his chance; he was going to do something about it.

He spun around and saw that Hiccup was just about to help the last person in line. To be courteous, Tuffnut decided to wait for Hiccup to be done. Normally he wouldn't care, but he wanted to make a good impression with the boy. So, while he waited he succumbed to his mindless nervous habit: he fiddled with the ends of his hair. He didn't know why he did it, but whenever he was nervous it's where his hands just naturally seemed to go.

"Hey, Hiccup," Tuffnut said immediately after the last student had moved along.

"Hm? Everything OK?" Hiccup asked, cocking his eyebrow.

"I was wondering if you, uh, wanted to hang out sometime."

Hiccup cracked a smile and responded, "Take a look at your receipt."

This confused Tuffnut but regardless, he obeyed. Gingerly plucking the receipt out from between the cover and the first page to avoid dropping his student card, Tuffnut glanced over the receipt from the top down. It looked pretty normal, showing the school name, time, list of books taken out, the due date circled in Hiccup's red pen, and then Tuffnut noticed the difference. There, at the bottom, in his red ink, was Hiccup's name and phone number.

To say that Tuffnut was dumbstruck would have been an understatement. He must've remained perfectly still and silent for at least thirty seconds. Where the heck did that come from? That was definitely the last thing he was expecting.

"Why…How did you…" Tuffnut started, unable to form a complete sentence.

"I know you've been coming back here every day because you want to see me Tuff. And, well, I think I'd like to get to know you a little better too." Hiccup smiled as he said this, partially because it was true and partially because he found Tuffnut's present expression rather amusing.

"How…"

"I know you don't like to read Tuff. And I also know that your sister never would have wanted those books. She plays volleyball with my friend Astrid, and I've met her a couple times at practices I've visited. She didn't strike me as the kind of person for those types of books. Plus she spoke about you a little."

"But…I…" Tuffnut stuttered, but as he did another line started to form at the counter for Hiccup.

"I have to get back to work. Call me when you can form a complete sentence, alright?" Hiccup joked.

Tuffnut turned around and left, book in hand. He couldn't believe it; the brunet had beaten him to it. Not that he was complaining since it made his life infinitely easier now that he knew there was a reciprocal interest.

As he exited the library and rounded the corner he let out a small whoop. Time to start planning once more, but this time, he would be planning their first date.

* * *

**Mr. Belch is not the one head of the twins' Deadly Nadder. 10 points to whoever knows who it is! XD **

**Also, if this gets enough reviews/follows/favourites maybe I'll write their date :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**It's not as date-y as I thought it would be, but oh well. And good job to those who knew it was a book reference!**

* * *

Tuffnut stared at his phone for well over a minute after he had finished typing his message. It was short, simple, and to the point, but he was still doubting himself. If he sent it, would Hiccup think that he was second guessing this? What if Hiccup had changed his mind since yesterday? Throwing the fates to the wind, he sent the message. He read it to himself once more as it sat in the conversation, waiting to be responded to: _'Hey Hiccup, what's up?'_

Tuffnut stared at the phone for a solid five minutes, waiting for Hiccup to respond. He knew that Hiccup could be busy and possibly wouldn't even respond for several hours, but that didn't stop him from blankly staring at his phone, wondering what was happening at the other end of the line.

Hiccup's response came in not too long later, and Tuffnut opened it instantly. He didn't read it right away, taking a moment to be nervous for what awaited him when he glanced down once more. He took a deep breath and looked down, reading the entire message quickly.

_'Not much. Just fed my cat. You?'_

Tuffnut breathed a sigh of relief, but the nerves caught up to him once more when he realized what he was going to send next. Before it could get to him though he pushed the send button on his message and waited for the response, all while rereading his own message as if looking for flaws: _'Not much. You busy tomorrow?' _This time, the reply came quicker.

_'Nope. What did you have in mind?'_

_'There's a party at Snotlout's house. Want to go?'_ As he sent that, Tuffnut realized that it was already getting easier to send Hiccup messages. Well, at least he was panicking less each time.

_'Sure. What are you going as?'_

_'How did you know it was a costume party?'_

_'I know some things. So, what are you going as?'_

_'Not sure yet. You?'_

_'Not sure either.'_

At this point there was a lull in the conversation, and Tuffnut started to freak out. Had Hiccup become bored? What was going on?

_'I've got to go. Family thing. See you in class tomorrow.'_

_'Alright, see you.'_ Tuffnut replied. He put down his phone and walked over to the closet, looking though it to see what he could wear to the party. He didn't have the money to buy a new costume, so he'd have to make do with what he had. He found an old Viking hat from the discount store he bought when he was a kid, as well as a fur vest and grey tunic. He knew his sister had a set of fur boots, and after digging out a pair of grey skinny jeans he had his costume. Now he just needed to wait for tomorrow. In the meantime, he headed downstairs to fight his twin for the television.

* * *

Hiccup had said he had a family thing, but in reality, it was just dinner. He had panicked, not sure of what he could say to inform Tuffnut he couldn't respond for a while, and that was what came to mind. Plus he was already worried that he would say something stupid. Before he had texted Hiccup was scared Tuffnut had changed his mind. After all, he was Tuffnut, and Tuffnut was strong and popular while he was just Hiccup. So when Tuffnut had finally texted him he had needed nearly five minutes just to calm down and gather himself.

When dinner was over, however, he rushed back to his room to pick out something to wear. He wasn't expecting to go to the party at his cousin's house, so now he needed a costume on short notice.

He rifled through all the closets in the house, trying to piece something together. He found a fur vest in one closet, and a green tunic in another. He grabbed a pair of brown jeans out of the drawers in his room and miraculously found a pair of old fur boots in the front closet. Piecing them together he figured he could pull off a Viking costume.

He glanced at the clock in his room, and when he saw it was still only 8pm he sat down at his desk and pulled out his laptop. He wasn't in the mood to start tinkering in the garage and he was done his homework, so he started meddling with the schematics and design of his newest invention in AutoCAD. He was convinced this one would work.

* * *

Tuffnut caught sight of Hiccup in the hallways just before the first class of the day Friday morning, or at least he caught sight of his backpack. The thing was huge and clearly overstuffed. He had no idea how Hiccup could maneuver through the crowd without hitting anyone, but somehow he was doing it.

Tuffnut caught up to the boy as he was trying to shove the bag into his locker. It clearly wasn't going to fit, and Tuffnut could only smile at the boy's resilience. He was trying all different angles, different parts of the locker, but nothing had worked yet.

"Hey Hiccup," Tuffnut called with a smile as he approached. Hiccup took a momentary break from his shoving to spin around, and smiled when he saw Tuffnut approaching. Tuffnut didn't know what it was, but her really loved Hiccup's smile. Sure his teeth were a little crooked, but there was a certain sincerity behind it.

"Hey Tuff."

"So, what's in the bag?"

"Oh, um," Hiccup started, unsure of how to continue. "Well, it's my costume. I was hoping, since you live closer to Snotlout than I do, that maybe I could come to your place after school to change?"

Tuffnut lit up at this. Hiccup wanted to come over to his place? This was great! He just wished he could've known about this in advance; he could have made so many more preparations.

"Of course! Meet me by my car after school?"

"You drive?" Hiccup asked, a little surprised and impressed.

"Yeah, meet me by the car with the plate AUOL 500 after school." Tuffnut would be lying if he said he wasn't gloating a little, but there was no harm in showing off a little right? Especially since now he didn't have to worry about Hiccup not being interested in him.

Hiccup went over the license plate number in his head once more, committing it to memory. Nodding his head he returned to attempting to shove his bag back into his locker, giving Tuffnut a quick, "Got it."

Tuffnut couldn't stand to watch Hiccup try to be logical anymore, so he asked, "Hiccup, is there anything breakable or of value in that bag?"

"No, why?"

"Stand aside," Tuffnut said as he gently touched Hiccup's arm. When Hiccup was out of the way, Tuffnut lifted up his leg and kicked the bag, stuffing it into the locker. Hiccup simply shrugged; he got what he wanted after all.

They bade their farewells as the warning bell rang, indicating they only had five more minutes to get to their classes. Hiccup pulled his books out and started walking to class, but even as he walked away he knew Tuffnut was still watching him.

* * *

Hiccup started walking through the rows of student parking, searching for the plate, when he heard a girl call his name. Looking around he saw a tall blonde girl waving towards him from a few rows over. He recognized Ruffnut instantly, waving back and heading over to her.

"Hey Ruffnut," Hiccup said as he walked up to her. She was standing next to a beat up grey Civic with a license plate that matched the one that Tuffnut had told him earlier.

"Hey Hic. I think Tuff is still inside looking for you. I'll text him you're here," she said as she pulled out her phone. She was only halfway through typing it when Tuffnut walked up to them.

"Hey, you're here! Let's go," Tuffnut smiled as he unlocked the car. Ruffnut got into the front seat, and Hiccup climbed into the back. They pulled out of the parking lot and gunned it along the main street.

"So, Hic, you have a costume for the party?" Ruffnut asked, turning her head around.

"Of course. Are you going too?" Hiccup inquired.

"Yeah, of course! Astrid too."

"Where has Astrid been these last few days? I haven't seen her in forever."

"She's been constantly practicing these last few days; I've only seen her in the gym. She's getting ready for playoffs."

"Talk about dedication."

"Whoa whoa whoa," Tuffnut interjected, "Did she just call you Hic?"

"Uh, yeah?" Ruffnut and Hiccup replied at the same time, both a little confused by the question.

"Everyone calls me Hic," Hiccup clarified. "Have you never heard that before?" As Hiccup asked that a smile started to tug at the side of his mouth.

"Maybe," Tuffnut defended, glad that they were just pulling up to the driveway of their house. As Hiccup climbed out of the car with his bag, he took a moment to look over the house.

It was a decent sized semi-detached with a downward slanted shared driveway leading to separate garage doors. There were approximately seven steps up to a small front porch, and on the porch were a few different potted plants. When they walked inside it was a small tiled foyer with plain white walls and a small front closet. The stairs were right in front of them, with a living room to the right and a kitchen to the left. They all moved upstairs to where there were three bedrooms and a basic bathroom that were all painted the standard white that was present throughout the home.

"Is there going to be food at this thing?" Ruffnut asked as she walked up to the door to her room. She tossed her bag inside before closing the door and looking back to the boys.

"I think there is supposed to be pizza, but we're not even supposed to be there till 7," Tuffnut responded. "And I'm already kind of hungry."

"Yeah, me too," Ruffnut added.

"I could eat," Hiccup supplied when the twins looked over at him.

"Great, it's settled then!" Tuffnut said as he shed his bag and grabbed Hiccup's, throwing them both into his room. "We'll order Chinese! And in the meantime, I'm thinking video games."

"Oh, you're so on!" Ruffnut cackled as she flew down the stairs. Tuffnut took off after her, right on her heels, and Hiccup smiled and shook his head as he walked down after them.

* * *

Apparently right after school was a popular time for people to order Chinese take-out, and it took until five o'clock for the food to arrive. By that time, Hiccup had lost every round of every game they had played, and Ruffnut and Tuffnut were still trying to finish each other's last life off in a round of Super Smash Bros.

The doorbell sounded and Hiccup wasn't even sure if the twins noticed, being too absorbed in their game. So, he walked to the door and forked out the cash to pay the deliveryman. Carrying four bags of take-out he walked to the kitchen table and set them down, calling to the twins that the food was here.

Ruffnut called out an uninterpretable acknowledgement as Hiccup grabbed a few plates and set out the containers of food. He pulled out the chopsticks from the bottom of the bag and as he found the garbage to dispose of the now empty bag in, the twins entered the room.

"I just remembered I have some stuff to do up in my room, so I'll see you two a little later," Ruffnut said as she grabbed a set of chopsticks and one of the containers of food. She left the room with a small wink to Tuffnut, which Hiccup couldn't help but notice.

"Well I guess it's finally just the two of us," Tuffnut said, taking the seat next to Hiccup and sliding the chair a little bit closer.

"You didn't have to ask Ruffnut to leave you know," Hiccup said as he opened a container of fried rice and chicken balls.

"What? No, she just had something to do. I didn't ask her to." Hiccup was pretty sure Tuffnut was lying, but he decided not to call him out on it. He wasn't complaining about a little alone time either.

He handed Tuffnut a container as well and split his chopsticks, ready to dig into the fried deliciousness in front of him, but he stopped himself when Tuffnut started to get up.

"Where are you going?"

"Fork," Tuffnut replied.

"Tuffnut, do you not know how to use chopsticks?" Hiccup asked, a small smile pulling at the sides of his mouth.

"Never found a reason to learn," was all Tuffnut said as a reply. Hiccup grabbed Tuffnut's shoulder and pulled him back into his seat. When Tuffnut gave him a confused look, he explained.

"Well, now I'm giving you a lesson whether you want it or not," Hiccup smiled. Tuffnut agreed, seeing no reason to decline being taught.

"Alright, so how do we begin?" Tuffnut asked. Wordlessly, Hiccup reached over and grabbed the other pair of chopsticks, breaking them apart.

"Ok, now hold this one like a pencil," Hiccup explained, showing how he was holding it in his own hand."

"Like this?"

"No, more like this," Hiccup said. He grabbed Tuffnut's hand to mould his fingers into the proper position, and it took a split second for both boys to realize that they were holding hands, sort of. There was a quick blush from the pair but before things could get too awkward Hiccup continued. "Perfect. Now slide this one underneath and rest it sort of on your thumb and ring finger. Just like that. Ok, now move the top one up and down."

Tuffnut messed up the first few times, but Hiccup was always there to correct him. Hiccup had to reposition the chopsticks a couple of times when they fell out of place, but after a few minutes Tuffnut had finally gotten the hang of it.

"Hey, this isn't too hard," Tuffnut said excitedly, beaming at his new ability.

"See? Aren't you glad you let me teach you?" Hiccup asked, turning to look Tuffnut in the eye once more. When he turned, however, their faces ended up merely an inch apart. The breathing between the two teens slowed as they glanced into each other's eyes for just a moment. Tuffnut was about to close the gap but Hiccup suddenly looked away and moved his face, returning his attention to his food. Tuffnut was a little disappointed but he turned to his food as well, attempting to pick something up for the first time.

Hiccup was lost in thought as he picked up some rice and put it in his mouth. They had almost kissed, but he had freaked out and blown it. Would Tuffnut be upset at Hiccup for doing that? And why was his heart racing so fast? Hiccup was snapped out of his thoughts by a grunt from Tuffnut.

Looking over, he discovered that Tuffnut was having some trouble picking up the chicken ball, and Hiccup chuckled a little. The chuckle caught Tuffnut's attention, and even he couldn't help but smile.

"You use these things a lot?" Tuffnut asked, trying once more to pick up the fried ball.

"Occasionally yeah, why?"

"Hm, I think I just discovered why you're a talking fishbone," Tuffnut joked, poking Hiccup's side with his free hand. By sheer luck he had found one of Hiccup's ticklish spots, and he couldn't stop the laugh and spasm that followed.

The smile that came to Tuffnut's face could only be described as malicious, and Hiccup immediately knew he was in trouble. Tuffnut dropped his chopsticks and immediately put both hands to work, searching for any more ticklish spots.

"Tu-Tuff, s-st-stop," Hiccup wheezed between laughs, futilely attempting to fight off Tuffnut's fingers. He only stopped several seconds letter when his stomach let out a massive growl, and they decided that they probably should try to eat something.

* * *

Between the conversations, the laughing, and the chopsticks, it took the pair almost two hours to finish eating and cleaning up. When they glanced at the clock they saw it was already almost seven, and they decided to start getting ready for the party.

"So, you cool to change in my room and I'll change in the bathroom?" Tuffnut asked as they walked up the stairs to get their costumes.

"Yeah, sounds fine," Hiccup replied. They walked into Tuffnut's room and Hiccup unzipped his bag while Tuffnut headed for the closet.

Hiccup looked around the room while he waited for Tuffnut to leave, and Hiccup was actually pretty surprised by what he saw. Granted he expected the band posters and the unmade bed, but the periodic table poster and small chemistry set sort of surprised him.

"You into chemistry?"

"Hm? Yeah, it's my favourite subject," Tuffnut commented, finally gathering all of the parts to his costume. "Alright, I'm out."

As soon as Tuffnut closed the door, Hiccup took out his own costume. He took off his shirt and undid the button on his pants, but just as he pulled them down the door suddenly flew open.

"Sorry, I forgot…" was all Tuffnut got to say before he was interrupted.

"Aaaah," Hiccup screamed as he tried to hide behind the bed. He stumbled over his pants and face planted on the floor, crawling quickly to get behind something. "Tuffnut get out!"

"Sorry," Tuffnut panicked, covering his eyes. "I just forgot this." Tuffnut grabbed whatever it was he forgot next to the door, Hiccup not seeing what it was, before the door was closed once more.

Hiccup took a moment to gather himself once more before quickly changing into his costume. The fur vest had survived without losing too much fur in his backpack, and Hiccup was glad to see that. He opened the door and walked out into the hallway, bag in hand and his old clothes within. Tuffnut was already standing in the hallway.

"Hey, I'm really sorry about that and oh my gods we're both Vikings," Tuffnut said in a single breath. Hiccup looked over Tuffnut's costume and then over his own, realizing he was right. Granted he didn't have the hat, but it was still clear as day.

"What are the odds," Hiccup muttered to himself. Before Tuffnut could respond, however, Ruffnut came out of her room in her own costume. She was wearing a black torn t-shirt and jeans, those boots that look like converse but went almost up to her knee, and had a fake guitar with her.

"Hey guys, you almost ready…" she started before she stopped and burst into laughter. "I can't believe you two match! This is priceless," she said between laughs.

"Yeah yeah it's not that funny," Tuffnut moaned, rolling his eyes. "Now are we going to go or what?"

"I'm waiting for you loser," was all Ruffnut said as she walked down the stairs, the boys in tow.

* * *

They pulled up to the party just past 7:15, and the place was already packed. Music could be heard blasting from the inside and people were all around the yard. It looked like Snotlout had invited the entire school, and everyone had shown up. Hiccup would be surprised if there weren't a couple of noise complaints by the end of the night.

They walked in the front door and the first person they saw was Snotlout, who just happened to be walking by at the time. When he saw the door open he looked over he went to greet them, but burst into laughter.

"Oh my gods, Tuff, you and Hiccup, that's hilarious!" Snotlout laughed. "Did you plan that? That's adorable, it's like you're going out or something." The two just looked at each other and blushed slightly, and just then Snotlout caught on to what was going on. He stopped laughing immediately and some of the colour drained from his face. "Oh, well, see you later!" Snotlout called, quickly excusing himself from the situation that Ruffnut found quite amusing.

"Hey guys!" came a female voice over the sound of the music and Ruffnut's cackling. Looking to the left they saw Astrid waving to them and beckoning them over. A closer glance and they realized she was part of a circle with about eight other people from school, and there was a bottle in the middle. "We're starting up an old classic, spin the bottle. We have room for three more."

"Sure," Ruffnut agreed instantly, but before Tuffnut agreed he looked to Hiccup.

Hiccup didn't particularly want to play, but he didn't want to stop Tuffnut from having fun. So, he agreed and decided to hope that no one would end up spinning the bottle onto him.

They joined the circle, and Ruffnut had the first spin. It landed on a senior boy, and they shared a quick peck before Astrid took the bottle. She spun the bottle quite hard and it took a moment before it even started to slow down, and when it stopped, it landed squarely on Hiccup.

He looked up at Astrid, and he was glad that if someone had to get him that it was her. It was a quick peck and that was it, and Hiccup didn't feel too uncomfortable since he knew her extremely well. When he saw Tuffnut though he could see him looking away, as if he didn't want to see it. Was Tuffnut jealous?

The game moved along, and several of the other boys and girls kissed, some quick pecks and others a little more involved. Finally it came around to Tuffnut's turn. When he spun it landed on his sister, and everyone laughed. Tuffnut jumped over Hiccup and knocked his sister over, pretending to fight against her hand to go in for a kiss as she protested. They ended up settling for punching each other as everyone laughed, and he returned to his seat.

It wasn't until the bottle was passed to him that Hiccup realized he would have to spin it. He started to panic, and his heart rate rose significantly. But he couldn't just back out of this now. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad, maybe it would land on Astrid and everything would be fine. Then he could leave part way through the next round without looking suspicious. He took a deep breath as he spun the bottle, praying once more that it would land on Astrid.

As the bottle slowed, Hiccup's heart rate picked up once more. He repeated, _'Please land on Astrid,'_ over and over in his head like mantra, and when the bottle really slowed he closed his eyes. He cracked them open ever so slightly when he heard some giggles and gasps, and what he saw momentarily stopped his heart: the bottle had stopped pointing directly at Tuffnut.

The two looked at each other, then at the bottle, then back at each other. The snickers from their classmates around them continued, but the boys had trouble hearing them over the nervous ringing in their ears.

They snapped to attention when Ruffnut called, "Hurry up already!" and the others cheered them on. Hiccup looked down, clearly mildly embarrassed, and Tuffnut decided the best thing to do for Hiccup would to just do it and get it over with. So, he leaned over and pressed his lips to Hiccup's.

Hiccup's eyes widened with the sudden action, but he didn't pull away and they eventually slid closed. He kept his lips unmoving, as did Tuffnut, but they stayed pressed together for a little longer than either of them had realized.

"Alright, break it up you two,' Ruffnut laughed, taking the bottle for herself once more. They pulled apart slowly, Tuffnut looking at Hiccup and Hiccup looking down slightly. Ruffnut spun the bottle and landed on the same senior boy as last time, but neither Hiccup nor Tuffnut noticed as Tuffnut got up and started to walk away, dragging Hiccup with him.

"Tuff, where are we going?" Hiccup asked, but he was given no response as he was dragged up the stairs and around the corner. The entered the second door on the right, entering Snotlout's bedroom. When the door was shut Tuffnut sat on the bed, beckoning Hiccup to sit next to him. When he did, Tuffnut finally spoke.

"Hey, you ok?" A simple question, but at the present moment, very loaded. Hiccup knew that if he said yes Tuffnut would think he was lying and be upset, and if he said no he would think that Hiccup didn't enjoy the kiss. That part definitely wasn't true; the kiss had been so simple but it was absolutely amazing to Hiccup. To him it was even worth the mild embarrassment. Hiccup didn't realize just how long he had remained silent, and Tuffnut ended up continuing. "Look, I'm sorry if I embarrassed you, I realize I shouldn't have just..."

"No wait," Hiccup interrupted, silencing Tuffnut. "Don't be sorry, it's just, I was a little shell shocked at first. It was amazing." Hiccup smiled as he said this, and Tuffnut breathed a sigh of relief.

"So, want to head back downstairs?" Tuffnut asked as he stood up.

"Maybe in a second," Hiccup said, standing up and positioning himself right next to Tuffnut.

"Oh?" Tuffnut asked, moving his face a little closer to Hiccup's. When the boy just smiled, Tuffnut took that as his cue and closed the distance between them.

This time when their lips met, Tuffnut started to move his, and Hiccup mimicked his actions. The kiss deepened and Tuffnut wrapped his arms around Hiccup's waist, while Hiccup wrapped his around Tuffnut's neck. When Tuffnut brushed his tongue over Hiccup's lips he got surprised and stumbled, Tuffnut breaking the kiss to catch him and leaning on the bed to keep their balance. The pair laughed softly for just a second before their lips connected once more.

"In here?" came a muffled call as Snotlout opened the door, instantly groaning when he saw the sight in front of him. They broke their kiss instantly but Tuffnut kept hold of Hiccup as they both turned to look at Snotlout. "Come on guys, seriously?"

Tuffnut just laughed as he stood up, still holding Hiccup, and dragged him out the door. Hiccup couldn't help but laugh at Snotlout's shaking head and wonder just where Tuffnut was taking him now.


End file.
